Bed wetting alarm and trainer



April 1970 J. w. SNYDER 3,508,234

BED WETTING ALARM AND TRAINER Filed May 26, 1967 i 3 Sheets-Sheet iINVENTOR. J05 w SNYDER illa/166 A TTYS.

A ril 21, 1970 J. w. SNYDER 3,508,2 4

BED WETTING ALARM AND TRAINER- F Med May 26, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arm5,

A ril 21, 1970 J. w. SNYDER BED WETTING ALARM'AND TRAINER 3 sheets-Shea:5

Filed May 26. 1967 BATTERY HMO sum/'1 IJPPARHTUS POCKE T nvsmr R m R wmm% s f w E 0 J7 B EXTPNAL JACK ATTYS.

GENERATOR Y! 3/ aofiPFA/(ER United States Patent 3,508,234 BED WETTINGALARM AND TRAINER Joe W. Snyder, 15288 SE. La Marquita Way, Milwaukie,Oreg. 97222 Filed May 26, 1967, Ser. No. 641,637 Int. Cl. G08b 21 /00U.S. Cl. 340-235 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An alarm to alert aperson subject to involuntary release of urine, comprising a sealedhousing of electrically insulated material inclosing the alarmapparatus. One wall of the housing facing the body of the user is formedwith a concave recessed pocket. Fitted within this pocket is a removablecomplementary insert that is perforated to permit passage of urine intothe pocket. Opposed surfaces of the insert and pocket are electricallyconductive, non-conductive areas being divided to terminate the alarmwhen the person is standing erect. The fastening elements that hold theremovable inserts to the housing are also utilized as part of theelectrical alarm circuit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Night time enuresis, the involuntary releaseof urine, is a common problem among young children and adolescents,particularly boys. Much literature has been devoted to the causes of theproblem, which are rather complex and often related to psychologicaldevelopment of the child. The resulting symptom, commonly termed bedwetting, is troublesome to both the child and his parents, and becomesincreasingly so with the age of the child.

Many different-devices have been proposed to assist in the correction ofthis problem. One line of such devices utilizes pads placed on the bed,which sound an alarm when wet. The difiiculty with such devices is thatthe reaction time between the initial release of urine and the time atwhich the pad has become sufficiently wetted to cause the alarm is sogreat that the child, when awakened is too late to correct thesituation. To be eifective, such an alarm must sound as quickly aspossible after the release or discharge of urine has started, and thealarm must be effective in awakening the child, since the tendency tosound sleep often accompanies the bed wetting symptoms.

In U.S. Patent No, 3,441,019 I have disclosed an alarm apparatus whichis triggered by the bridging of spaced electrically conductive surfaceson elements worn by the person which receive urine upon such release.The first'drop of urine that bridges these surfaces is adequate tocomplete the alarm circuit. No soaking or penetration of a material isnecessary.

A child can awaken immediately upon hearing the alarm and hasten to thebathroom prior to complete soaking of his bed and night clothes. Thereflex action generated by use of this device is most effective whenused by a child capable of manipulating and cleaning the apparatus whenso awakened. Normally, the child should be at least five or six yearsold, although the apparatus has been used successfully by youngerchildren.

Similar alarms are useful in the care of aged persons who have lostcontrol of their urinary functions. An audible alarm can alert nursesand attendants in a nursing home and assist in the sanitary care of suchpersons.

One object of the present apparatus is to provide a highly sanitaryapparatus that can be used many times and maintained in a clean sanitarcondition, The external portions of the apparatus are preferably moldedfrom sheet plastic material and the surfaces are smoothly contoured foreasy cleaning and drying.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein thealarm circuit will be automatically opened when the structure isdismantled for drying after the person has been alerted.

Another object of the invention is a novel fastening arrangement for thereleasable insert that forms oneof the conductive surfaces wherein thefastener itself is used as a sealed electrical conductor leading to theinterior alarm apparatus encased in the housing.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nonconductive area atthe bottom portion of the apparatus so that the alarm signal will beterminated when the person wearing the alarm is awakened and reaches astanding or upright position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a front inverted view of theapparatus;

FIG. 2 is a rear inverted view of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2; the lowerportion of the apparatus being shown to the right;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 44 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view through the housing as seen along line5-5 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the housing;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the insert;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the insert;

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the insert as seen in FIG.8;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view through the assembly taken through theplane designated as 55 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the alarm circuit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The basic arrangement of operable elementsincluded in this invention are shown in my prior U.S. Patent 3,441,019.The present invention relates to a bed wetting alarm and trainer havinga molded wall of electrically insulating material and including arecessed pocket when at least a portion of the pocket surface iselectrically conductive. A complementary insert is provided having onesurface thereof cimplementary in contour to the pocket surface contour.At least a portion of this insert surface is electrically conductive.The insert is positioned relative to the pocket to separate theelectrically conductive surfaces by an air gap capable of being bridgedby droplets of urine. In one specific form of the invention, releasablefasteners are used to selectively mount the insert to the pocket, andthe fasteners serve also as electrically conductive members in the alarmcircuitry.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The apparatus described below isa self-enclosed alarm for alerting a person subjected to involuntaryurination, particularly nighttime enuresis or bed wetting. The alarm andtrainer is generally described herein with relation to its intended useby the person. For a more specific description of the basic alarmcombination see U.S. Patent 3,441,019. The apparatus is adapted to beworn by the person in direct body contact against his front pelvicregion. The apparatus is preferably maintained in place byundergarments, such as by use of an athletic supporter.

The relative positions of elements in the apparatus will be describedherein in relation'to the positions of the elements when worn by aperson. Therefore, the structure that faces outwardly from the personwill be termed as being toward the front and the structure that facestoward the persons body will be termed as being rear. Likewise, althoughthe person may obviously assume any position while wearing the device,the structure will be described with respect to its lower portion andupper portion, these terms being related to the orientation of thedevice when the person is upright or standing.

The general orientation of the apparatus when the person is standing isillustrated in FIG. 10. While the orientation of the apparatus varies inthe drawings from one figure to another, the descriptive terminologyused herein shall be related to the orientation shown in FIG. 10,wherein the upper portion of the apparatus is shown toward the top, thelower portion of the apparatus is shown toward the bottom, the frontelements are directed toward the left and the rear elements are directedtoward the right.

The embodiment of the device shown in the drawings comprises essentiallytwo members whose features will be described herein in detail. The firstmember is a sealed housing 10 within which the battery and alarmapparatus 26 is enclosed. The second is a releasable insert 14, whichcooperatively presents, with one wall of the housing, opposed spacedconductive surfaces. These conductive surfaces cooperate to triggeroperation of the battery and alarm apparatus when bridged by aconductive liquid (urine).

The housing 10 is shown in detail in FIGS. 1 through 6. It comprises arear wall -11 that faces the body of the user. The smooth periphery ofwall 11 is designed to complement the persons body. It is contoured tofit snugly against the lower pelvic region. The housing 10 is completelysealed to eliminate damage to the interior devices from fluid duringusage and subsequent cleaning.

At the lower portion of wall 11 is a recessed pocket 13 having generallyconcave open surfaces. In use, the pocket 13 is located in a facingposition immediately outward of the persons urine discharge area. Thehousing 10 is completed by a forward wall 12, there being an enlargedcavity area at the upper portion of the housing within which is locatedthe battery and alarm apparatus 26. The wall 11 and 12 which form thehousing 10' are preferably molded of sheet plastic material that iselectrically non-conductive. However, a portion of the surface withinthe pocket -13 is coated or plated with an electrically conductivesurfacing material that extends about an area indicated in FIGURES and'6 by the broken line boundary shown at 23. The electrically conductivesurface can be painted or otherwise applied or formed on the plasticsurface. One type of coating that is particularly useful is anon-corrosive carbon overlay, which results in long service despitesuccessive use and cleaning.

The insert 14 is shown in detail in FIGS. 7-9, as well as in FIGS. 4 and10. The insert 14 is formed complementary to the interior surfaceconfiguration of pocket 13 and in use is positioned therein. It isperforated by a pattern of apertures to permit the passage of urine. Itincludes one surface 15 that faces forwardly in use (FIG. which isshaped so as to be positioned from the pocket surface by a narrowdimension. The one surface 14 of insert 14 is outwardly adjacent to thepocket surface and in near proximity to it so that two surfaces can bebridged by droplets of liquid. The location of the insert 14 relative tothe pocket 13 is accurately positioned by outwardly protruding ribs 21and a base identation 22 molded in the insert 14. These indented areasextend outwardly from the surface a distance equal to the desiredseparation between the pocket surface of the pocket 13 and the onesurface 15 of the insert 14. The indented areas rest against the pocketsurface and prevent the two adjacent surfaces from otherwise contactingone another.

The insert 14 also has a conductive surface area. This area is outlinedin FIGS. 8 and 9 by the broken line boundary shown at 24. It is to benoted that the conductive surface on the insert 14 is discontinued aboutthe areas of the ribs 21 and indentations 22. The insert conductivesurface overlays the conductive surface of the pocket and is spaced fromit both physically and electrically. The contact of the indented areasof insert 14 with the pocket surface does not complete electricalcontact between the two independent surfaces since the indented areasare not electrically conductive.

It is to be noted that the conductive surface within the pocket 13,outlined by the line 23, terminates short of the lower base within thepocket 13. Likewise, the conductive surface of the insert 24 terminatesshort of its lower edge, as can be seen in FIG. 9. In this way, opposedareas of nonconductive surfaces are spaced from one another at the lowerportion of the apparatus. The purpose of these nonconductive areas willbe explained below.

This disclosure is not concerned specifically with the features of thebattery and alarm apparatus 26. These elements can be of anyconventional design capable of being sealed within the confines ofhousing 10. The general features of this apparatus are shown in FIG. 11.A battery 27 is used as the source of electrical energy. It is wired ina series circuit across the two conductive surfaces of the wall 11 andinsert 14 respectively, which form a normally open circuit wired to anaudio frequency generator 28. The audio frequency generator 28 isprovided with a speaker 30 and an external jack 31 to facilitate the useof a conventional ear phone if required due to the sleepingcharacteristics of the user of the device.

The manner by which the conductive surfaces are physically connected inthe alarm circuit within the hous. ing is designed to maintain thesealed character of housing 10 and to facilitate ready use of theapparatus by a young child or by an elderly patient. Specifically, theconductive surface within the pocket 13 on the wall 11 is in electricalcontact with an indented metal member 25 that extends inwardly from thewall 11 and which is wired to the battery and alarm apparatus asindicated generally by the line 32 in FIG. 5. The conductive surface 14is in electrical contact with a female fastener element 20 fixed toinsert 14. This metal element can be releasably fixed to a male fastenerelement 18 on wall 11, the element 18 being wired also to the batteryand alarm apparatus within housing 10 as shown by line 33 in FIG. 5 Thefastener elements 18 and 20 therefore serve a dual purpose. First, theysupport the insert 14 on the wall 11 in a fixed position with theconductive surfaces thereof in proximity to one another. Secondly, theycomplete an electrical circuit from the insert conductive surface to theinterior battery and alarm apparatus 26.

As shown in FIG. 1, an external jack 31 can be pro vided on the frontwall 12 of the apparatus at the upper portion thereof. The jack 31 isused Where an external speaker or earphone is required in order toassist in alerting or awakening the person using the device.

As can be seen from the drawings, the insert 14 is provided with apattern of apertures extending through it between the indented areasthat locate the insert 14 in proximity to the pocket surface. Theperforated insert 14 thereby permits the passage of urine to the limitedspace separating the one surface 15 of the insert from the pocket 13.When in use, the passage of urine through these apertures results in thebridging of the conductive surfaces by the conductive liquid, therebycompleting the circuit shown in FIG. 11 and causing the generation of anaudible alarm signal. In the case of a young child, this shouldimmediately awaken him, and normally the child will be awakened at thevery start of the release of urine in his sleep. The signal will alsoalert those in the vicinity of the person, so that they can assist whereneeded.

A child, when awakened by the alarm, will have been instructed to getout of bed immediately and hasten to the bathroom. When he stands, thedrops of liquid will naturally flow downwardly to the lower portion ofthe pocket 13 which is not coated with an electrically conductivesurface. If the child is awakened soon enough, this flow of urine'to thelower portion of the pocket 13 will therefore eliminate the bridgingbetween the conductive surfaces and the alarm signal will be terminatedwhen the child is standing. This reduces some of the confusion whichotherwise results when the child is suddenly awakened from sound sleep.

One advantage of this arrangement is that the child, after beingawakened, can immediately remove the integral housing and easily dry thewet surfaces and reassemble the device. The only manipulation requiredis theilease of the insert 14 by releasing the fastener elements 18, 20.This breaks the electrical circuit, and providcs complete access to thewetted portions of the walls of the device. The child then must onlyreassemble the apparatus by properly gripping the fastener elements 18,20, which prepares the alarm circuit again for use. No external switchesor more complicated latching devices are required.

Many modifications might still be made in this structure while retainingthe basic features described above. Specifically, the pocket 13 need notbe recessed so deeply as illustrated when designed solely for use bygirls. The apparatus can be varied in size to fit children or adults.The apparatus shown is effective when used by either males or femalesand can be comfortably worn by either. The choice of materials andconductive surface details can be modified without deviating from thebasic concept of the apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A bed wetting alarm and trainer to be worn on the person, comprising.

a sealed housing of electrically insulating material having a peripheralshape to engage a childs body in the front pelvic region about the urinedischarge opening;

said housing having a well directed toward the persons :body when inuse, said wall 'being formed with a concave pocket recessed therein;

an exposed surface coating of electrically conductive material locatedacross at least a portion of the surface of said concave pocket; aseparate perforated insert formed from a sheet of electricallyinsulating material having one surface thereof complementary to thecontour of the concave pocket surface; an exposed surface coating ofelectrically conductive material provided across at least a portion ofthe said one surface of said insert;

connecting means on said housing and insert to releasably position saidinsert within the pocket with the respective insert and pocketconductive surfaces in near proximity to one another, but spaced andelectrically insulated from one another, said surfaces being separatedby an air gap capable of being bridged by droplets of urine;

and signalling means within said housing operatively connected to theconductive surfaces of said pocket and flap when said insert is sopositioned, to thereby produce a warning signal in response to thebridging of said conductive surfaces by urine.

2. An apparatus as set out in claim- 1 wherein said connecting meanscomprises.

a pair of complementary fastener elements fixed to said wall and insertrespectively to selectively fix the insert relative to the wall, eachfastener element being electrically conductive, the fastener element onsaid insert being in electrical contact with the conductive surfaceportion thereof, the fastener element on said wall being electricallyinsulated from the conductive surface portion thereof. 3. An apparatusas set out in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises,

a pair of complementary fastener elements fixed to said wall and insertrespectively to selectively fix the insert relative to the wall, eachfastener element being electrically conductive, the fastener element onsaid insert being in electrical contact with the conductive surfaceportion thereof, the fastener element on said wall being electricallyinsulated from the conductive surface portion thereof;

said signalling means comprising:

a battery;

a speaker;

an audio frequency generator operable when receiving current from saidbattery to operate the speaker;

the fastener element on said wall and the conductive surface portion ofsaid wall being respectively wired in an open series circuit across saidbattery to said audio frequency generator.

4. An apparatus as set out in claim 1 wherein the conductive surfaces onthe wall and insert are discontinued at the bottom section of the pocketto terminate production of a warning signal when the wall issubstantially upright.

5. An apparatus as set out in claim 1 wherein the insert has a pluralityof areas formed thereon extending outwardly from said one surfacethereof to rest against the concave pocket surface of said wall.

6. An apparatus as set out in claim 1 wherein said insert comprises:

a sheet of electrically insulating material having a plurality of openapertures formed therethrough;

said sheet having a plurality of spaced indented areas extendingoutwardly beyond said one surface of said insert;

the conductive surface on said one surface being discontinued about saidindented areas.

7.v In a bed wetting alarm and trainer to be worn on the person:

a molded wall of electrically insulating material having an open concavepocket recessed therein adapted to be positioned outwardly adjacent toand facing the urine discharge opening of the person, at least a portionof the outer surface of said concave pocket being electricallyconductive;

an insert formed with one surface thereof complementary in contour tothe contour of the concave pocket surface, at least a portion of saidone surface of the insert :being electrically conductive;

Insert support means on said wall and insert to selectively positionsaid one surface of said insert adjacent to and slightly spaced from theconcave surface of said pocketwith the electrically conductive surfaceportions thereof openly facing one another and electrically insulatedfrom one another, said surface portion being separated by an air gapcauable of being bridged by droplets of urine;

and signalling means operably connected to the electrically conductivesurface portions of said pocket and insert to produce a warning signalwhen the space between said surface portions is bridged by urine;

a pair of complementary fastener elements fixed to said wall and insertrespectively to selectively fix the insert relative to the wall, eachfastener element being electrically conductive, the fastener element onsaid insert being in electrical contact with the conductive surfaceportion thereof, the fastener element on said wall being electricallyinsulated from the conductive surface portion thereof.

8. An apparatus as set out in claim 7 wherein said signalling meanscomprises:

a battery; a speaker; an audio frequency generator operable whenreceiving current from said batttery to operate the speaker; thefastener element on said wall and the conductive surface portion of saidwall being respectively wired in open series circuit across said batteryto said audio frequency generator.

9. In a bed wetting alarm and trainer to be worn on the person:

a molded wall of electrically insulating material having an open concavepocket recessed therein adapted to be positioned outwardly adjacent toand facing the urine discharge opening of the person, at least a portionof the outer surface of said concave pocket being electricallyconductive;

an insert formed with one surface thereof complementary in contour tothe contour of the concave pocket surface, at least a portion of saidone surface of the insert being electrically conductive;

insert support means on said wall and insert to selectively positionsaid one surface of said insert adjacent to and slightly spaced from theconcave surface of said pocket with the electrically conductive surfaceportions thereof openly facing one another and electrically insulatedfrom one another, said surface portion being separated by an air gapcapable of being bridged by droplets of urine;

and signalling means operably connnected to the elec- A 8 tricallyconductive surface portions of said poclget and insert to produce awarning signal when the space between said surface portions is bridgedby urine; said wall being formed as part of a sealed housing containingsaid signalling means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,046,080 6/ 1936 McClellan 340-235 2,316,683 6/1943 Jacobson 200-61104 2,668,202 2/ 1954 Kaplan 340-2353,020,528 2/1962 Swanson et al. 340-2 35 3,221,317 11/1965 Ferrigno 340235 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,306 4/ 1918 Switzerland.

JOHN W. CALDWELL, Primary Examiner 20 D. A. HART, Assistant Examiner US.Cl. X.R.

UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 5Q8234 Date April 21 L27!) Inventor(s) Joe W. Snyder It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

At column 6 the following indented clause is added following line 59:

"said insert means comprising:".

3K3? AND swan (SEAL) Attest:

mm x. saw, an. Altesting O fi Oomissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO(10-69) USCOMM-DC 00:70.

! 0 5, GOVIIIIMIIT PRINTING OFFICE "6| Olii-l.!4

